Bridled & Branded
by sanguineXnight
Summary: This is a short story revolved around the infamous gunslinger from Mortal Kombat X. This story is MATURE and will contain: violence, strong language, "triggering" scenarios, & SMUT. If you are not into that kind of content this is not for you... but if you are and you are a Erron fan, then jackpot!
1. 1

It was now early dusk in Outworld. By this time, the streets had started to clear out of the more "down to earth" citizens, and were replaced with a far more rougher and threatening crowd. The mercenary gunslinger who served the emperor, Kotal Kahn, had finished up another long day of carrying out his employer's demands. He had been sent to Earthrealm to dispose of the group of brats who had caused him more trouble than he would have hoped for. The mission was a success, and the quartet would not be returning to become a nuisance again. The job had paid well, far more than his usual fair, and he planned to treat himself to a bit of entertainment for once, since it was not something he usually had the chance or desire to do.

Walking at a slow but steady pace, he made his way through the streets towards the most popular tavern in the city. All of them were pretty grungy, but at least this one had decent refreshments and women who were easier on the eyes.

As he rounded to the entrance he was stopped for a moment by the guard at the door, who acknowledged his status and then stepped to the side for him to enter. The place was extremely crowded and loud; not his ideal environment, but he would put up with it long enough to enjoy a few drinks and kick back for some entertainment -- watching both the eccentric, sensual women and the brawling men.

Almost as soon as he entered he was greeted by a few stray women who were looking for their next customer. But none of them got his attention. He was a ladies man to the right women, but hardly any of these women actually appealed to him. He would sit back and enjoy watching them mostly, but refused to pay for any comfort or attention; from most of them, at least. It was rare, but every now and then when he was intoxicated enough, he would pick out one that would suit him best for his needs. He was a man still, after all. He had needs just like any other. But tonight he wasn't in the mood to settle for these women.

"Hello, sir." One woman purred, raking her long and sharp nails up his chest to his neck, flicking it lightly under his masked chin. "Need some company tonight?"

"Thanks but no thanks," he declined nonchalantly. "If I want any attention from a woman tonight I ain't paying for it."

The woman frowned, sneering slightly as she took a sharp turn on her heels to walk away, swaying her hips as she did so. The other women also attempted to advance on him, but he disregarded them all, walking towards the bartender.

"Give me the usual." He laid a single hand on the counter as he waited to get his drink. Out of his peripheral vision someone got his attention. A younger woman was dancing on a single and elevated platform across the room.

He turned in her direction, and narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked her over. She did not look like any of the women around here. Her beauty made her seem so out of place among the others he had encountered while in Outworld. If anything, she looked more like an Earthrealm girl. Her figure was thin, but curvacious. Porcelain skin; long, straight black hair that was pulled into a low ponytail just below her shoulder blades; with piercing blue eyes. Her breasts were not as voluptuous as other women here, as well -- being more natural in appearance for her body type; a C-cup, he supposed. Besides her physical features, her dancing also drew him in. Her movements were mesmerizing. Graceful, elegant, yet sensual and exotic. The way she swayed her arms and hips while rolling her abdomen was intoxicating enough without having any alcohol in your system.

"Here ya go." The bartender suddenly got his attention again and he snapped out of his trance long enough to turn and take hold of the mug. Quickly, he reverted back to look at her once more, but just like that she was gone, replaced by another woman.

He grunted softly. Maybe he had imagined her. After all, she was far too beautiful to be here. He arched an eyebrow, glancing around to see if he saw her among the others in the room, but he saw no traces of her.

"Ma' mind must be playin' tricks on me. Huh... maybe I do need to get laid after all." He joked to himself outloud before making his way towards one of the tables that was located just off to the side of the main dance stage, which was in the center of the large room.

He set his mug down on the table before seating himself, throwing his boots up to rest on the table and crossing his legs. He worked to unfasten his mask, placing it in his lap so he could take a drink. As he chugged the contents, women around him swooned at his freshly revealed face. It was rare for the man to take it off, but when he did, it was an attention grabber.

Like before, he paid no mind to their stares and attempts at getting his attention. When he finished his drink he set the empty mug back in place on the table, replaced his mask and then looked to the stage to watch the woman who was dancing. Slowly she stripped to the music, making sure to flash and taunt each man seated around her at the stage. It was entertaining to watch, but nothing more than that to him.

As the music came to an end he watched as the woman began to rake up her earnings scattered on the stage, pocketing it in a sack before walking off the stage.

"Making her way off stage, it's Estella, let's give her a hand!" A man announced, earning hoops and hollers from the group of men within the room. "And now, making her way to stage, a bit of strange for all of you -- its Raven!" Again the men whistled and called out.

Erron continued to stare casually until his eyes landed on the figure approaching the stairs to the stage, his eyes went wide at the sights of her. It was the girl he thought he had hallucinated. He shifted in his seat, his eyes following her every move as she ran a cloth up and down the pole in the center of the stage and then proceeded to prance around it -- twirling her body, and allowing herself to swing slightly off the ground around the pole with one hand. He glared at the men sitting around the stage, agitated that there were no available seats. He glanced back to her and continued to watch as she performed.

His eyes wandered back towards a man who was standing up from the stage, heading to the bar to get another drink. Erron wasted no time as he stood and made his way to take his seat. The lot of women who had been working there for a while that knew the gunslinger gave him shocked stares and glances among each other. It was no secret that the man was not one to really get involved with the women here. And he had never seated himself at the main stage. Not once in all the time he had been coming here.

Almost immediately after taking a seat, he reached into his pouch and took hold of a handful of coins. He didn't care to count them out or to check how many he had gotten, he was too entranced with the woman up in front of him. His eyes never left her as he gently placed his palm down onto the stage in front of him. He leaned back into the slightly reclined chair to watch her more comfortably. The other men took notice of the amount of money he had placed down, and they gave him a shocked look. It was... far more than anyone else would give starting out, or even all night long. It was obvious he was a wealthy man, and even more obvious at how much he was into this particular dancer.

Eventually, after dancing on the pole for a bit, she started to ease her way down. She turned with her back pressed against the pole, arms stretched up above her head and hands still wrapped around the pole she faced the gunslinger, and slowly and sensually she swayed her body, easing it down, gently lifting a single leg in the air as she came to sit on the stage. She continued to roll her hips and outstretched her other leg to it's full length while still keeping the other up in the air. Her eyes locked onto his, and she seemed to hold that contact for some time before glancing down to the sum of coins in front of him, but then she replaced her eyes upon his. Loose strands of her long hair had begun to fall in her face, so she blew them out of her vision.

After a moment she quickly maneuvered to her side and then crawled towards him, swaying her hips as she did so. Once she was directly in front of him she swiped the coins out of the way with one hand and then twisted her hips around so she was now laid out in front of him on one side. Keeping her motions in sync with the music she rolled her body, slowly lifting her leg up while running her hand down her collar, over her breast, down her side to her hip. Erron slowly eased forward until his forearms were resting on the stage; she had had his curiosity, but now she had his full attention. Her eye contact seemed to falter for a brief moment, but she quickly locked onto his once again before gently easing her hand down her hip and towards her center lower body. Gently she ran her hand down along the thin cloth that concealed her, and then pulling back she ran the tips of her fingers along herself slowly. Erron could feel the excitement this elicited from him, as his loins began to heat and were overcome with pressure.

One thing he also noticed was that she did not remove what little clothing she had on. It was customary that women in this profession stripped down during their performance, or at least slip their garments to the side to flash teasers for the men. But she did not do any of that. It wasn't exactly needed, since her lingerie was almost non existent, and her looks and movements were enough to satisfy the onlookers. It excited Erron even more; leaving him imagining exactly what was left underneath the thin lace strapless top and thong.

Suddenly the girl changed her position and began to crawl even closer to him. She timidly sat up on her knees, and edging forward, she placed both of her hands on his chest, running them up lightly as she pushed him back to recline in his seat. With her knees still planted on the stage she leaned into him, hovering just above as she ran her hands up to his shoulders and then to his neck. She gave him a small smile and seemed to hesitate as she spoke.

"Having a good time, cowboy?" She asked in a soft voice, but in a higher volume to be heard overtop of the music.

At first he said nothing, only continuing to stare intently up at her, but he nodded and then responded.

"Now I am."

Her smile wavered, like her actions before and he took notice of this.

But she grinned at him after a second and then gave him a sly look before reaching up to take off his hat, placing it on her own head.

"I'm stealing this." She smirked at him before pulling back and proceeding to dance in front of the other men with money in front of them. This annoyed Erron, but he understood it was her job. It was only business, nothing personal, like his own job. But he was far more entertained once she returned to dance on the pole. She was far more wild this time, taking wider swings and faster spins. She even climbed up towards the main top, twisting and flowing her body around it with such precision it was almost unreal.

As the music came to a slower tempo, signifying its nearing end, the dancer slowly twirled now, spiraling downward until her high heels made contact with the stage. Once the music was over, she made her way around the stage, collecting her earnings. She came to a stop at Erron again, smiling as she swung her legs over the stages edge to sit in front of him. She crossed her legs and then reached up to remove the hat, replacing it gently back to it's original place. Without a word, she flipped her body back around and finished collecting her money before leaving the stage.

"And that was Raven, leaving the stage now... Now we have--" but the words after went unnoticed as Erron only focused on the young girl, watching her as she made her way across the floor and disappeared behind a door.


	2. 2

Erron continued to stare off in the direction the girl had disappeared, even after she was long gone from his sight. What was it about her that was so endearing to him? Normally he would blame it on the booze, but he knew he hadn't drank nearly enough for the alcohol to affect him. He was also aware of the looks and hushed talk directed his way.

"Heh, heh, heh... fa'ncy that wan do you? She 'ees a lov'ly veexin, no?" An outworld humanoid creature seated next to him chuckled at Erron's transfixion. "Eh'ven for an Earthrealm girl. And I deh'spize Earthrealm whores."

So she was an Earthrealm girl after all. What was she doing in Outworld?

His thoughts were interrupted once again by the announcer for the taverns dancers, "Remember, you can request a special private dance from one of our gifted ladies! They are guaranteed to bewitch you. You will not be able to resist coming back for more!" He boomed, the rest of his announcement went on non-caring ears. That was all Erron cared to hear.

Other women from the tavern began closing in on the men nearby, in search for their next customer. Erron watched as some wrapped their selves around the women, or took their hands to be whisked away. An obvious thought crossed his mind, and he pushed himself up to stand, adjusted his hat with a quick tap on the brim, and walked over to the announcer seated at a podium overlooking the dancers area.

The announcer was mid-sentence when Erron came to a stop by him, and he glanced down to him. He recognized him as the Kahn's personal guard. "Yes, Mr. Black?" He asked warily. It was obvious he knew enough to fear him.

"I want one of those private dances you was talkin' about." He answered, loosely gripping his holster in the front.

The announcer seemed relieved, knowing now what the mercenary wanted. "Heh, heh," he chuckled, still nervously, "Of course, Mr. Black. Any specific vixen you have in mind?"

"The one you call 'Raven'."

The announcer smirked knowingly before raising a hand in the air to snap his fingers, flicking two fingers back and forth, motioning for a tavern guard to come over.

"Yes, sir?" The guard looked to the announcer.

"Fetch Raven for me, will you?" The announcer ordered. "She has a customer."

"Right away." The guard complied and turned to walk off.

Erron glanced around the room in anticipation. After what felt like minutes, he began tapping one of his fingers on the grip of one of his pistols. He was impatient, but knew some things were worth the wait.

Finally the guard returned, to Erron's disappointment the girl was not with him. If it weren't for the fact he was wearing a mask, his frown would've been very obvious.

As if sensing Erron's displeasure, the announcer asked "Well? Where is she?"

"With another client. She should be finished in a few minutes. I've already told the guard stationed at her door to bring her whence she is done."

Erron did not like that, at all.

The announcer sighed, and then nodded, prompting the guard to return to other duties.

"If you could, please wait here. She will come for you in a few minutes."

Erron exhaled lowly in irritation but turned to take a seat nearby.

Minutes passed and by now anyone could see by Erron's body language and eyes that he was irritable. He hated waiting, and it didn't help his mood knowing that another man was the reason for it. It was strange; he had never actually met the girl, did not know her -- not one thing about her other than the fact she was an exotic dancer at this tavern... so why was he so... jealous? The thought of it annoyed him further. He didn't care about anyone else but himself.

The thoughts died out again as he finally saw what he had been waiting for. Immediately he lifted his head as he watched the approaching figure. She was dressed differently now; wearing a teal and black strapless top that barely covered each breast but left the center of her chest completely open, a dark silver cuff around each upper arm just a couple of inches from her shoulders that had small chains linking to a black choker around her neck, a long silk skirt that matched the top sat lowly on her waist with a dark silver chain along the top holding it in place, with a slit all the way up the front left side that revealed her entire left leg with every step she took; and black open toed high heels with dark silver spikes as the heel. Her hair remained the same as before; pulled into a low ponytail between her shoulder blades, with some loose strands resting over her shoulders and chest, framing her face. Her ears also were adorned with jewelry all over; large black plugs with 2 smaller black jewels rest on her lobes, the cartilage of her tragus' were pierced as well as the cartilage along the top of her ears.

Erron smirked beneath his mask, he definitely liked what he saw.

"Ahhhh, Raven, dear, you have a customer waiting for you." The announcer motioned to her.

She had the same look as before, it was blank, almost devoid of any life. It was the only thing about her Erron did not like. As he stood to his feet and walked towards her, she turned her head in his direction to give him a startled look.

The announcer chuckled, "Mr. Black is a very special customer. Do make him happy." He ordered, and with a snap of his fingers he signaled for her to get to work fast.

As if on Que, she put up a facade and then hesitantly turned back to her new customer. She swallowed nervously before slowly approaching him, forcing herself to make eye contact as she did and then stopped mere inches from him. They stared at one another in silence for what felt like eons. Surprisingly, she was the one to break the silence between them.

"Back for more, cowboy?" She flashed a small smirk.

Although she couldn't see it, he did the same, although his was much bigger and genuine. "For a pretty little thing like you? Damn straight."

To hide any faults in her facade, she quickly moved, ready to get this over with as soon as she could. Erron grunted softly, slightly stunned at her contact as she wrapped her arms around his waist, gently gliding them back out and around as her hands ran along the front of his upper thighs, painfully close to his now hardening member that twitched in excitement. (It had definitely been way too long)

Another second later and she had turned around, still keeping their close proximity intact as she pressed her rear into his waist, he groaned slightly as she took hold of his hands, bringing them around her front as she gingerly placed one on her stomach, gliding it slowly down to rest on her hip and then entwining her fingers with his other hand. He was a little disappointed when she pulled away, but it was replaced with excitement once again as she turned to smirk at him once again before tugging him along. Yeah, he definitely was in a much better mood now.

The girl continued to tug Erron along; weaving through crowds of men and women. Lots of the bystanders would stop in their tracks when they noticed Erron. After walking a little ways, she pulled him through a curtain of beads, which led into a darkened room. Erron used his free hand to push the strands out of the way for his head and body to pass through freely. He was moving more carefully now with the thickened darkness. A little further in, dimmed lights gave way for him to see more clearly. Candles were lined across the entirety of the right wall, as well as a few placed around each doorway that lined the left side. The rooms were actually lacking real doors. Instead there were rough, faded and grimy looking tapestries hanging in their place. The room had a thick musty stench, as well as the scent of smoke in the air. Faint moans and groans could be heard emanating from within the tiny rooms, and at the end of the hall, there were two guards standing next to each other talking faintly.

The two of them finally came to a stop and Erron eyed her backside curiously, anticipating what she would do now. She seemed to be observing the guards at the end of the hall, and a moment later she gave a soft pull on his hand once more as she slowly strode towards the men.

The men ceased their conversation and turned to eye the approaching dancer and mercenary. She halted again a few feet away.

"I have another customer who wants a private dance," she explained in a soft voice. "Are any of the rooms available?"

"Not at the moment. They're all full up for now." One of the guards answered gruffly.

"Their time should be up within the next few minutes. Just wait your turn." The other guard ordered in an irritated manner.

The dancer released her hold on the gunslingers hand, but he did not let go right away, when she turned slightly just far enough to glance at him and his hand, he finally released. She was hesitant as she turned to walk past him in the oppisite direction, taking a seat on a bench positioned on the wall lined with candles a few feet away. He watched her silently for a moment before going to join her.

They sat in silence now, and the girl crossed one of her legs over the other and rested her hands on one of her knees as she leaned forward. Erron kept his eyes on her, and drank in as much detail of her as he could in the dim candle light. He looked to the one side of her face that he could see, but her eyes glided to the side to see him staring at her and she turned her head the rest of the way away from him. As her hair shifted as well, his eyes fell further down, but came to a stop on her left shoulder blade. Although the lighting wasn't great, they were seated close enough to the candles for him to see it; a mark, to be more exact, a brand was placed on her left upper back. His eyes narrowed as he focused on it. It was about the size of a palm, and beared the symbol of the tavern's owner, who was a well known 'business' man in Z'Unkahrah. Basically what would be the black market of Outworld. He smuggled in a lot of forbidden contraband that Kotal Kahn had banned after Shao Kahn's downfall.

Erron knew that anyone who beared that mark was the equivalent of livestock, and none of them were in that position of their own free will. He started to wonder just how this Earthrealm girl wound up in the position she was in.

Suddenly, she broke the silence. "So, what is the Kahn's personal aid doing in a place like this, anyway?" Her voice was soft, and only loud enough for him to make out.

He blinked and let his eyes wonder off before realizing she had turned around to look at him now. "I needed a little entertainment." He answered honestly. "With my line of work, you don't really get the chance to enjoy yourself that often." He thought about it for a moment, and then corrected hisself. "But, some parts of the job I do enjoy." He smirked a little beneath his mask, thinking of how he had taken care of the Earthrealm brats just days before.

She stayed silent for a moment, as if contemplating his words. "Oh, I see... So you like killing people, then?"

She was straightforward, although it threw him off a little, he liked it.

"Yeah. Guess I do." He turned to her again, locking eyes.

Surprisingly, she smiled a little at his comment. "Can't say I blame you. There are quite a few people I wouldn't mind killing, myself."

Again, she had threw him off with her words. But before either one could make another comment, one of the guards had started forward and yanked one of the tapestries back from one of the doorways. "Alright, time's up!" He boomed.

Erron and the girl turned to look in the direction, and Erron couldn't help but notice the man and woman inside. They were both seated on a cushioned seat, just big enough for the two of them to sit the way they were. The womans top had been pulled down to reveal her breasts, and the man's top had been torn open to reveal his chest. When neither made a move the guard growled before reaching in and grabbing the woman by her hair, ripping her off the man. When she did, the man's exposed and hardened member was visible, and when the guard saw this he threw the woman to the ground. She grunted at the impact and whimpered.

"Better have earned enough to cover that." The guard spoke down to the crumbling woman before turning to face the man who was now hurrying to fasten his trousers and fix his shirt. He turned back to the woman below him and then extended his hand. The woman was quick to move as she crawled back towards the room, and gathered her earnings from an urn next to the cushioned seat. She turned back and sat up on her knees as she placed all the coins in the guards hands. He counted them silently. The man who had finished fixing his clothes began to leave, but as he exited the room, the guard extended an arm and slammed in back into his chest.

"Not so fast," he boomed. "Im afraid you did not pay enough for the services you received."

"But I didn't even finish!" The man argued.

"Not my problem." The guard said nonchalantly as he unsheathed his sword, extending it in the mans direction. "Empty your pockets."

The man fidgeted as he stuck his hands in his pockets to squander what little money he had left, giving it to the guard who counted it but then clicked his tongue to backhand him.

"Don't come back if you can't manage to pay what you owe." The guard then motioned for the woman to leave and get back to work. She was quick to move and leave. Then the guard resheathed his sword and ordered the dancer seated to get to work on the next customer. "You have 15 minutes."

Quickly the dancer stood and then turned to extend a hand to Erron, who took it eagerly. With that she led him towards the vacant room, which the guard held the tapestry back for them to enter, releasing it as the two entered the room.


End file.
